|
There are advantages to an open and a closed format.
this might be a bit OT but it is still about technology.
Back in 1983 there was a video game crash. Countless companies got into video games and made utter crap. The consumer was confused and the platform makers did not have any form of encryption to really prevent this.
A few years later Nintendo came out and they had a very strict policy that pretty much would prevent other companies from licensing. Some attempted but lawsuits tried to block them (google Tengen tetris..it was interesting)
It should be noted that in this industry the systems are sold at or below cost to be made up in the cost of games. 3rd party game companies pay a fee for each one sold. So eventually there is a ratio to profitibility
Fast forward a bit to say today. apples ipad, iphone/ipod touch do well but the apps store isn't open... this is also why Android I feel will eventually overtake apple (that and the fact that the hardware sells clones)
Since hardware prices keep going down it only makes sense that the makers of these e readers seem at least a tad protective of encryption and how things work. If Amazon didn't want it to be a open system they shouldn't have made it with linux..heck nook has android on it which again is a open system.
If file conversion wasn't allowed (legally here..I have some word docs that were put to azw for a class) then the devices wouldn't sell.it is impossible to day to have a totally closed system and expect it to last forever like that.
|